TV news! The apex of any serious journalist's career! Where hard-hitting stories merge with immediacy and affect to create compelling viewing day in, day out! Where nothing can possibligh go wrong! And such and such.
I compile for you here a collection of ten of my favourite TV news moments, from the unmitigated cock-ups through to the thoroughly unexpected through to the just a little bit crap. Onwards!
Bear sighting!: Now, this is two minutes of truly compelling news right here. The reporter, Todd, really brings that cut-out bear to life. Best line: "This is what the bear probably looked like. Except real."
Lee Lin Chin: The veteran SBS newscaster is feeling frisky.
Arthur: This is not so much an amusing exchange on a Haitian news show as it is a terrifying glimpse into the existential void that fills Arthur's mind. Just look at him. What horrors lie within that half a second of silence? What deep absence does Arthur feel in his soul when he hears the insane chattering of other mortals? What profound darkness does he see at the core of all being?... That or he was just thinking about the weather.
Psycho Cat: If Garfield taught me anything - and he did - it's that one should never trust a man trying to give you a cat for free. I think there was something about it in that storyline where Garfield executes Jon for heading up a coffee and sugar smuggling ring... No, wait, that was
Judge Dredd.
Boom Goes The Dynamite: "Quick Brian! Our sports guy is drunk and vomiting in the toilet! Work experience be damned, we need you on camera. Now!"
Evan O'Dorney: This interview is, in my opinion, a massive vindication of the entire home schooling movement.
Anchor vs Reporter: Tensions flare in the middle of a hard-hitting story about apartment building renovations. These truly are the golden years of his career.
Beware! Reptiles!: Much like the Chic song, this guy is freaking out.
Oligarhy [sic]: I actually posted this already way back in my
first ever post, but I still maintain that if you found yourself trapped in a train compartment with Glenn Beck, you would rate him a better than even chance of, at some point in the journey, trying to suck your eyelids off.
Triumphing over adversity: It's the foundation of every good news story.